More Taylor Swift, Trump golf fantasies, Tua; less Tommy Tuberville in 2024 | D'Angelo

South Florida, take a bow.

While 2023 was another dramatic year in sports nationally — from Bills safety Damar Hamlin's inspiring recovery after collapsing on the football field, to more PGA Tour-LIV Golf drama, to a baseball contract approaching $1 billion, to the disintegration of the Pac-12 — nothing has ever compared with what we witnessed locally.

The storylines and success stories in our market may be unmatched anywhere. We had individual major champions like Palm Beach County native Brooks Koepka and longtime resident Coco Gauff; and teams reaching impressive heights like the Heat and Panthers making the Finals, the Marlins and Dolphins in the postseason, FAU and Miami men's basketball playing in the Final Four, Inter Miami winning the Leagues Cup, Nova Southeastern basketball and Keiser football being crowned national champions.

We head into 2024 with the bar raised locally (I'm talking to you, Dolphins) and more drama promised. Here is what I want to see more of, and less of, in sports.

What I want to see more of in 2024

Taylor Swift: While some may be turned off by the cameras catching every reaction, the NFL knows better: Swift is good for business with ratings and sales skyrocketing since her romance with the Chiefs' Travis Kelce. If it bothers you, turn away. Maybe next she can date a baseball superstar and save that dying sport.

Beach Boys Basketball: Nothing tops what FAU men's basketball has accomplished last season. And the Owls are not through. Anybody who believed Dusty May's team was a one-hit wonder when it made the Final Four needs to check out what his players have done in December. This program is for real.

Coco Gauff: The Delray Beach teenager is just getting started. Her victory in the U.S. Open was a breakthrough on the tennis court, but Gauff's activism had already been well-established. We need more Coco on and off the court.

Storytime with Donald Trump: This is low-hanging fruit, but who doesn't love the ongoing series: "My Fictional Tales from the Golf Course." According to the four-time indicted former president, he's won about 11,780 club championships on approximately 91 courses. He's declared himself the winner by playing weeks before the event, not even playing at all, and posting a better score than most professional golfers ever did on that course. The gift that keeps on giving.

Lionel Messi: Last season, we got a taste of what the global superstar could mean to the area, and the MLS, when Messi joined Inter Miami and brought the franchise its first-ever Leagues Cup. Now, we get a full season of Messi in 2024. It should be fun.

Harmony in golf: I'm all for competition, but golf needs to find a resolution when it comes to the PGA Tour and LIV, and find a way to coexist. The storyline has been compelling, but is it sustainable? We'll see what comes of these talks between the two sides.

Tua deep in the postseason: I got one of my wishes from a year ago, a healthy Tua Tagovailoa. Now that the Dolphins' quarterback has made it this far without any trips to the medical tent, it's time for Miami to do something it has not done in nearly a quarter-century, win a playoff game.

More sanity in college athletics: Players have every right to profit off their name, image and likeness. And they have every right to transfer out of an untenable situation. But the toothless NCAA has allowed this to get out of control.

Caitlin Clark: The most compelling basketball player on the planet. She simply is must-see television — something you cannot say about any NBA player — every time Iowa is on, which is not nearly enough.

What I want to see less of in 2024

College football support staffs: Add up all the wins for Florida and Miami in the past decade and it may not equal the number of coaches, analysts, directors, nutritionists, gofers on each staff. Yet, not one member of the Gators' staff noticed when two No. 3s were on the field, and not one member of the Hurricanes' staff knew to take a knee. No Power Five programs have gotten less bang for the buck than Florida and Miami.

Athletes crying poverty after money grabs: Nothing turns fans off more than hearing someone like Jon Rahm talk about the need to take care of his family after signing a deal with LIV Golf for more than half a billion dollars. The more than $100 million in prize money and sponsorships earned so far while on the PGA Tour wasn't enough?

Tommy Tuberville: Tuberville was 156-99 in 21 years as a head coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. A solid career. Now, as a U.S. senator, Tuberville has shown he's a dangerous, conspiracy theorist. I would say Tuberville should have stuck to his first career, but do we really want him leading young men?

Hideous NBA courts: The NBA had to find some way to let confused fans know what games were counted toward the in-season tournament. So it came up with the idea of fully-painted courts featuring a stripe across the middle, a trophy and the team name or city in big bold letters at midcourt. Here's an idea, dump the courts and in-season tournament. This isn't soccer.

Less outrage over bowl games: So, you think we have too many bowl games? Don't watch. Why should anyone be so outraged over a bunch of college football players participating in one more game, for some, their last game? For those who think these games are meaningless, have you seen the celebrations, like App State players sliding around the waterlogged field at UCF after winning the Cure Bowl?

College Football Playoff Committee: Thankfully, we will not have another fiasco like this year as we move to the 12-team playoff. How much outrage can there be over the No. 12 seed?

Deion Sanders' receipts: Remember this quote after Week 1 of the college football season: "I keep the receipts." That was Deion following Colorado's win at TCU, as he belittled reporters who dared say he is not a miracle worker. Colorado was improved, from one to four wins, about what everyone expected. As for those receipts, they've likely been tossed after ending the season with six consecutive losses.

Recruiting in high school sports: This year it was revealed that Martin County High School was involved in an elaborate scheme involving the 2022 team in which coaches altered documents, and parents and coaches were arrested. In other investigations, seasons were impacted in Palm Beach County after allegations of recruiting. Let's not turn high school athletics into big business. Leave the recruiting to the colleges.

Tom D'Angelo is a sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @tomdangelo44.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: More Taylor Swift, Trump golf fantasies, Messi and less Tommy Tuberville in 2024